Salameh fails to attend hearing session with French and German delegations

A French judicial delegation headed by investigating judge Aude Buresi and a German administrative and diplomatic delegation attended the Palace of Justice in Beirut to hear the Central Bank of Lebanon Governor, Riad Salameh, in the presence of the first investigating judge Charbel Abou Samra and Judge Jad al-Hashem. 

However, Salameh did not attend, but rather his legal representative attended to inquire about the fate of a clarifying memo submitted to Abou Samra on Tuesday, in which he considered that the European judiciary was violating the Lebanese sovereignty and that the investigating judge could have rejected the execution of the request if he found it conflicting with the investigation procedures in Lebanon.

Thus, the decision was left to Abou Samra by General Prosecutor Ghassan Khoury, who confirmed that executing the appeal does not conflict with Lebanese law and scheduled a session at 10:30 AM on Thursday. 

However, if Salameh does not attend, Abou Samra said he would return to the European judiciary to make the appropriate decision from outside Lebanese territory.

However, the legal prosecutor assured European and Lebanese judges during the session that the Governor would attend on Thursday. 

Judicial sources indicate that if the European judiciary decides to take any action against Salameh abroad based on a Lebanese session, his legal representative can object based on his objection to the principles of hearing him in Lebanon.

"At this time, the Lebanese state's judiciary has filed a lawsuit against Riad and Raja Salameh and Marianne Houeik to safeguard the Lebanese state's right to seize their assets and freeze their bank accounts if it is proven that they are derived from unlawful acts.

 As for their assets abroad, LBCI has learned that the Head of the lawsuit department at the Justice Ministry, Judge Helena Iskandar, met with French judge Aude Buresi on Wednesday morning, who informed her that if the Lebanese state does not take action, the funds that may be seized abroad will go to two claimant associations. 

Aude conveyed this information to the Caretaker Minister of Finance in a letter. She will also seek to appoint a lawyer without fees and demand that the funds be deposited in the Lebanese sovereign fund.